Doctor Who & The Mysterious Traveling Market
by n.clive.gerard
Summary: The twelfth Doctor and his new companion, Preeti, visit an unusual traveling market filled with all sorts of oddities and mysteries, but things turn out stranger than even the Doctor imagined.
1. The Old Curiosity Ship

"The universe is a curious place full of unlikely things. I know because I am one of them."

In a vast field of stars some seem displaced, askew from where they should be, as if a force is disrupting them, like a boat making little ripples as it slowly passes through water. As it comes closer there is the faint outline of the large object causing this effect. If it wasn't moving at all it would be invisible, but as it comes closer it's apparent that it's some kind of vessel, which somehow reflects everything it passes in front of.

As the picture zooms out further it become obvious that this is the view from a screen and that a grey haired older man is watching it intently. Farther away from the initial image and it is revealed that he is not alone. A woman of Indian origins in her twenties is watching with him, trying to see what he is pointing out. They are beside a console of unusual controls in a room that is both full of high and low technology, of Victorian decor and otherworldly elements.

"Doctor," she says referring to the older man, "I'm still not seeing it. I mean I know I'm seeing something, but I'm not quite sure what it is."

"Well, that is because you see, you observe, but you have no idea what could cause such an anomaly. Is it natural, is it supernatural, or is it man made? Well since I don't believe in ghosts, at least not the dearly departed dead kind, and since there is more in the universe than what narrow–minded man has come up with, I know exactly what I am looking at. I just never expected to see it."

"Now that's left me even more confused than when we started. Is that your idea of a simple explanation?"

"Don't rush me. I'm getting there. Let me enjoy the sense of mystery (or maybe it's just confusion) on your face for a moment. This is a myth I've been chasing the rumors of for some time, until I was convinced it wasn't real myself."

"Well you can't expect to keep me in suspense for much longer, because you've now admitted you know exactly what it is and are just playing silly buggers by not telling me."

"Spoil sport! It is – as you would have undoubtedly have fathomed eventually – an interstellar market selling it's wares. A very advanced and unusual one at that."

"You do love knowing more than someone else a little too much."

"But not as much as being able to explain in great detail what other people do not know."

"So, how is that a market? When I think of markets I think of stalls set up on Sunday mornings to sell over–ripe fruit, badly sewn clothes and dubious gadgets that break after a week."

"That's the type! Well not exactly the same type. Think of this as more like the Grand Bazaar of ancient Cairo, or the Souks of Marrakech, with haggling vendors selling their spoils from far flung traders. Yet this isn't a place to offload dodgy goods from the back of a lorry. This is the repository of the best curiosities of the galaxy, and their wares are as near to magic as technology can reproduce."

"Shopping? You're taking me shopping? That's really sweet of you, as it's the last thing many men want to do with a woman, but I'm not any woman, and didn't travel millions of miles with you to pick up a few plastic baubles. A giant almost invisible space craft just for that?"

"Well. That was not the reaction I was hoping for, but I'll just have to wait until we actually arrive for you to fully appreciate what we've encountered. Trust me, you'll like it."

"I'm still working out how far to trust you, but this time I'll take your word for it. Let's take a look then. Let me see if you can impress me."

His eyebrow raises in reaction. A challenge has been given that the Doctor intends to prove himself equal to. He turns a dial and pulls a lever, which is followed by unearthly whooshing sound and the feeling of a landing that jolts him and his companion for a moment until they gain their footing.

A blue Public Call Box fades into existence and immediately looks very out of place in a dark unused corner of an indoor market. It's stalls are modeled after the outdoor variety with their colorful awnings and the even more colorful characters that sit beneath them, behind tables filled with unusual objects.

The Doctor and his companion emerge and immediately walk over to a few of the tables, display stands and booths. But the young woman still doesn't seem very impressed.

"It looks like my local farmer's market. The least you could have offered me were beings with a few extra eyes or arms or at least green skin."

"Preeti, this isn't a circus. These are aliens, or at least you are alien to them, and me even more so. They aren't here to perform for us. We could have gone to a planet where we would have been eaten if you preferred."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful or prejudiced. This is definitely a change from staying home reading on a rainy day."

"Well I'm glad I could offer such a distraction, even if it's only a bit better than that. But come to think of it I'm a little surprised myself that everyone we've seen so far are so humanoid. I do love finding a new species I haven't seen before too."

At this thought the Doctor asks an older woman sitting under a canopy, "Excuse me, but please forgive me a silly question, do you all look like this?"

"Look like what? What's wrong with the way I look?"

"I'm sorry I just wondered if you all looked alike."

"No. I'm Alberta. I look like this and he looks like that," she says pointing to a man on a nearby stall, "I'm spectacularly beautiful and he is passably handsome, but then I would say that as he is my husband, and he claims that is one of the reasons I married him. Well it certainly wasn't for his money."

"What I meant was …"

"You were wondering why you didn't see a more exotic collection of creatures from far flung planets."

"Yes, Indeed I was."

"Well that is a curiosity. It's not that they aren't welcome. I like to think we are very welcoming and we have room for new stalls and new friends here, and some do sign on, but they never seem to stay for long. But in case your wondering, it's not because we eat them. So you don't have to worry about us hunting you for food. I think all of us here are vegetarians."

With the Doctor left a little flustered, Preeti steps in to try and salvage some semblance of a polite conversation.

"I must apologize for my friend. Especially as he doesn't seem to be the type to say sorry often. I think we got off on the wrong foot. It looks like I need to teach my alien companion some more cultural sensitivity."

"It's okay dear. We get all kinds here."

The Doctor clearly isn't used to finding himself at a loss, but seeking to regain his dignity tells the older man and woman, as if they are a small audience, that, "I'm one kind you wouldn't have seen often and I'm happy to make your acquaintance, I am the Doctor, and this is my companion, Preeti."

"Well you are most welcome here, and your much younger friend is indeed pretty. Although how you got here I have no idea, we aren't due to touch down and set up shop on any planet for a few days yet, so we may be a little unprepared for customers at the moment, but I think you'll still find us good hosts to strangers, even ones as strange as you, and that there will be enough open to keep you interested."

At this the Doctor smiles politely and walks off muttering something like, "she called me her companion, me the less culturally sensitive one?" Preeti stays behind.

"Don't mind him. I think he is in a mood. Of course I may be the reason for that, but he shouldn't be so thin skinned."

"So people on his planet have exceptionally thin skin?"

"It seems so. More susceptible to having their feelings hurt when you take their uniqueness for granted."

"No worries deary. Maybe something here will take your fancy and interest you after all."

"I suppose something might."

"What about this lovely necklace?" It is made up of a dozen dark–green triangles which look like precious gems. The lady hands it to her and Preeti holds it carefully.

"It's lovely. What is it made of?"

"The infected teeth of teenage blorb."

"Um. I don't think the color matches my complexion," she says as she grimacingly hands it back.

"We have all sorts of useful items. A knitting kit for ear hair that your old friend might make use of, or a toe fungus culturing kit. Make tasty mushrooms in the comfort of your shoes."

"Maybe I'm a little boring but do you happen to have any books, so at least I can pass the time reading while I'm waiting for old grumpy gramps to return."

"I have a little selection here. One of which is sure to interest you. How about, 'Alpha Centuri on 10 Credits a Day'? Or 'Surviving The Beauty Of Toxic Waste Planets'?"

"That last one sounds interesting, at least if there are pictures of the planets."

"I'm afraid not. I would have thought the author could have bothered to take some photos while he was there."

"Which reminds me that I forgot my phone which is the only camera I have. No–one will ever believe this."

"Well, then this might be a nice souvenir, it's a picture book of 'The Most Grotesque Life–forms In The Galaxy'"

She takes and opens it and drops it back on the table immediately.

"That's a little too real for me, and I'm guessing that one, 'Hitchhiking the Galaxy Naked' won't be any better."

"Ah, those were the days, weren't they my love." The old lady says picking up the book and winks at her husband.

"Maybe you could keep that gross one back for me. The man with all the money – well hopefully some money – has gone off in a huff, but I think my brother would like it. He loves to shock people in whatever weird way he can."

"A good choice."

She continues to browse, but hears a humming and looks around to see, instead of an insect, a little pulsating light buzzing. It is darting around her, but she swats it away and it quickly zooms off to a corner where it disappears from sight.

"What kind of fly was that?"

"Oh, that thing? None of us knows where it came from or what its doing here. It shows up occasionally, especially when we have new visitors, and the rest of the time is rarely seen."

"What is rarely seen?" Interjects the Doctor who has arrived back at the market stall.

Preeti replies, with some exasperation, "You it seems. I had no idea where you went. You just missed me being attacked by a large flying beast, or at least a small annoying one made of light."

"How fascinating. That's not something you see everyday on earth is it? In fact it's not something I can remember ever seeing myself. Where did it go?"

"I don't know. It just sort of disappeared when I whacked it away."

"You scared it off? I'm sure you were more dangerous to it than it was to you. Poor little thing."

"Poor little Preeti! You went and left me on my own. I'm in a strange place with strange people." Remembering the stall owner she adds, "No offense intended," to which they respond "None taken."

"Yes, sorry about that, I just assumed you'd tag along with me."

"Well I had some things to see here, and speaking of things, I need some money to buy something."

"Ah, well, let's see if they take credit."

He took a black card holder out of his pocket and flashed it at the vendor.

"Not that type we don't," she replies.

"Hmmm. It's always worked for me before. Well what about this fine exotic object?" He reveals a yo–yo from his pocket and proceeds to extend it and reel it back in.

"A yo–yo? I suppose that'll do."

The Doctor hands it over and it is exchanged for the book Preeti had put aside, and they move on to another set of stalls.


	2. Curiouser & Curiouser

The Doctor and Preeti both milled about the market, looking at different oddities, as well as some familiar looking items. The universe for all it's diversity still produces things very similar to plates and pots, shoes and hats.

"Actually, this place isn't half bad." Preeti said, realising as she said it that the Doctor was just waiting to say, 'I told you so.'

"Is that your way of saying you like it here?" The Doctor replied, pleased with himself.

"Well it can all be a little overwhelming. It's not every day I'm whisked away by a stranger to strange places."

"So I'm a stranger now?"

"I meant 'whisked away by a strange man'. You aren't so much of a stranger anymore, and I am starting to become accustomed to your strangeness."

"I think that's a compliment. At least that's how I'm going to take it."

"And so you should."

"Well this place is a lot stranger than me. I took out my sonic screwdriver and …"

"That thing can never stay in your pocket for long without you playing with it."

"Well, it doesn't just open doors you know. But on this ship it doesn't do anything. I tried to use it and some warning went off telling me to put my weapon away. I'm all for pacifism when possible, but that is ridiculous."

"Not any more so than a grown man who won't leave his toys alone."

"I see there is no reasoning about serious technological things with you. Have you tried any of the edible jewelry? I heard the chocolaty lemony minty beads were the best, and I found these delightful little jelly babies."

"I'm not that hungry. I was offered this squirming worm that I was told senses your favorite flavors when you put it in your mouth, and adapts itself to be the best combination of all of them as it wriggles along your tongue. The vendor looked at me very oddly when I told him I didn't eat anything that was alive. Said it was just actually a plant. If that's the kind of vegetarianism these people practice I wouldn't be too sure we won't be on the menu."

"Humans. Squeamish about moving plants but happy to eat a hamburger that used to live in the fields down the road from them. I love the contradictions."

"A little inanimate contradiction is sometimes easier to swallow than a flower that looks like a maggot."

"Fair point. Anyway, a little fellow – who looked as old as I should for my age – told me about a special part of the market that he said wouldn't fail to impress even you. If half of what he said was true it might even impress me too."

With that plan in mind he put out his arm for her to loop hers around, and they skipped off together toward a foggy alleyway.

The place they ended up at was a markedly different scene. Gone were the bright colors, replaced by more muted greys, purples, dark blues and black. The inhabitants of this section looked more like gypsies and their tents took on more of a Bedouin character. They didn't call out what they were selling, but waited for interested visitors to pry the details out of them.

"So, what is it you are offering?" Preeti asked, intrigued by the tubes and cogs that whirred and belched behind the turbaned stall holder.

"What is it you want?"

"Nothing you're offering unless I know what it is first."

"You really aren't helping maintain the mysterious atmosphere. I had all these ambiguous riddles saved up for you to try and solve."

"Let's start again. I'll play along. Go ahead!"

"Imagine that all your exits are entrances into a place without space in the spaces in–between. That … Oh well, whats the point now, I'm not in the mood anymore."

"I didn't mean to ruin it."

"It's okay, I'm still working on the whole act. But if you are interested in gewgaws that will fold space or turn you into a shadow then you've come to the right place."

"I don't know much about folding space. It sounds about as fun as folding laundry. But that shadow part sounds more interesting."

"I can't please everyone I suppose. The Shadow Doppelgänger is a special concoction which allows you to inhabit your shadow as if it's a separate being, to go unnoticed through the streets or into places that can't be reached, even by light."

"A shadow companion? And what would happen to the rest of me while I was off gallivanting in the shade?"

"That's the less than ideal side effect. Your real body becomes completely useless, but you won't be worrying about that while you are secretly slinking along anyway."

"Any other side effects?"

"Just that it only lasts a few hours and I always have to give the disclaimer that you can't use it for murder or to rob a bank. You can't handle anything physical."

"Well I'll happily take one then. I have this little card right here that should cover it, and take some extra for yourself."

"A psychic piece of paper pretending to be a credit card? Can't say I blame your for trying. I'll tell you what you let me keep the card and you can have one little vial."

"You caught me 'guvner. A clever card for an hour as a shadow. Doesn't seem so bad."

Preeti slipped the vial into her jacket pocket and rejoined the Doctor, who was eager to tell her about some of the finds he had seen.

"And over there is a chap with a second chance machine. It supposedly grants you a few minutes to relive and change a moment in your life. Of course I'm sure it's all just mental manipulation. And over here …"

There was something about the idea of that machine that caught Preeti's interest, and after that she completely lost attention in anything else the Doctor was saying, which he eventually noticed.

"I might as well talk to a wall when you have something else on your mind."

"What? Oh. I didn't mean to get so distracted. Did you managed to find any real money yet?"

"It's your lucky day. I managed to trade some ginger beer, that unique earthly concoction for what passes for coins in these parts. I feel like a dad whose kid is asking for money to go to the fare, but here you go, this should be enough to get you on some of the rides."

"Thank you grandad. Now where was that machine you mentioned?"

"Grandad? I haven't been called that in a long time. Anyway, the waste of money you seek is just over there, in that corner."

With this she took the paper bank notes from him and walked quickly to the stall he pointed out.

"Now what do we have here? I'm a sucker for fun and funky contraptions." Preeti wasn't letting on that she knew exactly what the device claimed to be.

"This my fine lady – if I may call you that – is a second chance machine." The man had a South London accent which reminded Preeti of home. "If you sit yourself down in this plush seat right here and put on this special headset then you can spend a moment with an old flame, a few minutes with a departed loved one, or relive some past glory. Perhaps your recollections are not so clear, maybe you forgot something somewhere and you'd like to find out where it is. Parts of you life, good or bad, will be just as you remember them, that is unless you'd like to change your memory, which you can also choose to do. The one you let get away, that goal you missed, that painful regret can be gone. For a few coins you can re–experience the past or turn sad memories into happy ones."

"And this has gone through all the necessary health and safety inspections? Has been thoroughly tested for flaws, hygiene and potential side effects? Because I'm not about to be an experimental monkey."

"This device is completely safe for man, woman, or monkey, or any variety of sentient being who has a head I can put these receptors on. It has made the stoic weep and the forlorn return to joy."

"How will it know where in my life to go? Will I have any control over what happens?"

"You always have control, but you also have powerful feelings associated with certain memories, and that is where it is most likely to take you first. Sit down and we'll get you ready for your ride down memory lane by putting this on your head."

She sat down in a seat that seemed to be constructed more to hold it's machinery together than to be a comfortable place to sit, and the vendor carefully placed on her head a sort of hat with hundreds of wires coming out of it. As soon as it rested there her eyes closed.

Why here of all places? It was one of the family gatherings like so many Preeti had attended regularly, but this one was different, because it was the last time she saw her daada (grandfather). Back then she was too occupied playing with her phone, listening to music on her headphones, to join in with the younger children who were listening to him tell them a story. Preeti had barely even acknowledged him and couldn't remember having said goodbye. That's why I'm here. She'd wished she could go back and have that chance, and now it seemed she would. This time she forgot there was anything else to take her attention but him.

"Over here Preeti, maybe you too will learn something from this story." Her grandfather called her over and began his tale:

"The Chandogya Upanishad tells the story of a man who was just going about his regular daily business, which was taking all of his attention, but he was unexpectedly kidnapped and blindfolded. He had no idea of where he was taken, only that from the amount of travel it was very far away. Eventually he was left by himself, but too afraid to take off the bandages around his eyes.

"The story doesn't tell us why he doesn't take off the blindfold and when I was young I wondered if perhaps he was too scared to remove it, just in case the bandits were still nearby and testing him to see if he would. But now I have read the story as an adult I think he had just got used to it being on. Whatever the reason for him staying blind to his surroundings he did eventually realize he was completely alone, and began crying out, 'Won't someone remove my blindfold. I have been left here and cannot see with it on.'"

"Maybe they'd tied his hands behind his back." Preeti interjected.

"I don't think so. Because even if they had he could have pushed the blindfold down by placing the side of his face on the ground and draging it off that way. Anyway, I was getting to the point of the story.

"Along came a stranger who heard his shouts and removed the man's bandages. Now he could see, the stranger was able to point out the direction of the man's village in the distance, and the man was able to journey back there without any additional help."

"What happened to the bandits?" Preeti asked.

"I have no idea, the story doesn't tell us. I think the bandits were just there to create the scenario in which the man thinks he is powerless and lost. We can easily get lost in distractions and diversions from what is really important in life. The first thing he thought of was his home and family, something that might have been far from his mind when he was working and when he could take it for granted that they were nearby."

"So what you are saying is that this is why my parents drag me to so many family events?"

"Yes, of course. They want you to spend time with me and I want that too, my little potee (granddaughter). Not just that, I want you to know that it is easy to be distracted in this life, to be focused on things that don't really matter very much. It is important to value those who love and care for you, but also to see past the silly little things that can worry you in life. Sometimes we blindfold ourselves and sometimes we realize and remove the blindfold, and at other times we need someone else to do that for us."

"But isn't ignorance a blessing?"

"Sometimes. We may count ourselves lucky not to experience some of the worst of the world, but there is no bliss in being ignorant to the breadth of experiences life can bring if we live it fully and purposefully. Even the worst can be a blessing if we can learn from it and obtain greater wisdom and compassion."

"Then why then does life have to end? I have so much more to learn from you, and I fear I've already forgotten half of what you've tried to teach me."

"My dear granddaughter, even Krishna died, but his life was not without lessons that we can still learn from. I hope you can take some of what I have taught you, but if nothing else can take the love I have for you and know that you are loved and that your grandfather's life was better for having known you too."

"And I love you too, daada, and I will never forget."

"All this talk of death is depressing though, let us have some Rabri and remember life is sweet too."

"Preeti, Preeti, wake up." Was that the Doctor's voice? Why did he have to interrupt now?

Her tearful eyes opened and she found herself back in the world of the market again and the Doctor looking at her impatiently.

He continued, "I have better things to do than watch you sleep. We've barely explored a tenth of this place and only have another hour before they close for the evening."

"Doctor, I saw my grandfather. He spoke with me."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you saw all sorts of surreal things under the influence of that machine."

"I'm being serious, we were in the same room together, it was the last time I saw him. I'd been too focused on myself to make the most of that time. Of course I didn't know before that I wouldn't see him again. But I had the chance to say goodbye."

"I know what that feels like. I've had too many unexpected departures without a proper goodbye."

"I used to get so mad at that old man, because he saw the world so differently from me. Maybe that's why I get mad at you sometimes too."

"Ah. So that explains it."

"No. Not all of it. You do enough to annoy me all by yourself, but that doesn't mean I don't like being around you."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need to have a private word with the proprietor of this odd machine."


	3. Past Imperfect

The Doctor was not happy with the owner of the Second Chance Machine.

"Excuse me sir, I have a complaint to make."

"A complaint? You haven't even used my product."

"You are quite right. I'd never submit myself to such brainwashing. But my more naive friend was taken in by the show."

"It's just a bit of fun, and sometimes it even helps people who have trouble moving past old regrets."

"So you admit it's a fraud?"

"Well as far as I know it only induces dreams and leaves you to your imagination to fill in the rest. There is nothing more special than that about it. But that is far from a thing of ridicule. It has brought great comfort to many."

"So have many other myths, but we don't pretend they are real. Well many people do, but that's quite another matter."

"Sir. Have I seen you here in the past? Maybe many years ago? Perhaps you were a dissatisfied customer who went into a trance and found they had no good memories to recollect. We have a few like you, never satisfied."

"Well I've had several faces, but none of them remembers you. I assure you this is my first time here and my last – at least the last time I will be giving you a chance to say your spiel and con a poor easily fooled simian life form."

The Doctor said this being unaware Preeti had just arrived behind him.

"Hey. Are you referring to me?"

But the Doctor ignores her and carries on his conversation with the vendor.

"At least this seat is good for one thing. Sitting down and resting tired legs, of which I have two that are in need of relaxing. ... Now, my deceptive hawker, I have found a real use for this seat."

He sinks into the chair, but shortly after has the look of remembering something.

"Preeti, where are my manners? You've been walking along with me this whole time and your legs are probably just as tired. Why don't you sit here?"

"I would Doctor, but at the moment it seems our little bright humming friend has made a reappearance. Look there he is now."

A pulsating and humming little light comes into view. It hovers around the Doctor and the vendor gets annoyed and tries to shew it away.

"This thing has no right annoying my paying customers."

He tries to swat it, but it moves too quickly and instead his hand hits into the helmet which had been hooked above the seat which drops upon the Doctors' head.

"You'll have to pay extra for that service you know." Are the last words the Doctor hears before his view goes black.

It's a planet, not earth, but with seas and landmasses, under the cover of clouds, and as it comes closer he knows what it is and says out loud, "Gallifrey, my home." His vision takes him below the clouds, to the outskirts of a city when suddenly it is disturbed by the sight of a missile hitting and exploding on the ground. He looks up from this view to see a host of saucer–like space ships covering the sky. Looking back toward the destruction they are inflicting, his attention turns to a sound further away in the distant desert, from which he sees a ship rise quickly from the ground into the atmosphere and beyond.

"Don't go. I'll be there. I'm coming. It's not safe."

With this he wakes. His eyes open wide. He pushes off the electronic hat and says, "What a load of poppycock!"

"Doctor, what did you see?" Preeti says concerned.

"Something that didn't happen. I saw my home planet besieged by our old enemy, the Daleks, and some of my people trying to escape it. But any who tried to escape were shot down. If I'd been there earlier maybe I would have saved them. But that didn't happen. I arrived at the last minute. Some had died in the fighting, but I never saw any such ship myself. This machine is just making things up."

"I assure you sir." The vendor interupts.

"I don't think anything you will say will assure me."

"Look. Some of us have to make a living. When that helmet hit your head I thought it might have knocked some sense into you, but it just gave you the same demonstration I've viewed a dozen times myself when testing it."

"That is your screen saver? The near destruction of Gallifrey?"

"Well I don't know what it's called or how it got in there, but that's what it defaults to."

"You have no idea about the Time Lords or the Daleks or what happened?"

"The Daleks. I know about them. Children's stories. But Lords of Time. There is no such thing. What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"It seems I've been the fool for coming here."

"I didn't mean to upset you. I know that's a pretty frightening experience to be confronted with. Let me make it up to you. You can use the machine again for free. It's on me. Recall some happier time."

"I don't have the time for such things."

"Doctor, you said we have all the time in the world." Preeti reminded him.

"What did you call him?" The vendor enquired.

"Doctor. If I knew any other name for him I'd use it, but he insists ..."

"I've seen a Doctor before ..."

"I'm sure you have. For your head no doubt." The Doctor added ironically.

"No. In the machine. On that planet at an earlier time. But that Doctor looked very different. Nothing like you."

 _How could this machine know me or one of my previous incarnations?_ The Doctor thought to himself.

"What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. But it's John."

"John, did you always have this face?"

"As long as I can remember."

At this the Doctor quickly took out a stethoscope from a pocket inside his coat and listened to John's heart beat, but there was just a normal rhythm, which leaves the Doctor looking crestfallen.

"My mistake. I thought for a moment you might be ... something else. But I should have known better."

"I must just have one of those faces."

"No worries. I've had many of them."

"Preeti, I think we need to call it a day." The Doctor says, looking unusually tired, but Preeti is in no mood to end the day already.

"Do we have to? There is still so much left to see."

"And see it you shall, tomorrow, but I need to do something very unlike me and lay down, close my eyes, get some sleep and forget this happened."

"Now you mention it I suppose I'm a little tired myself. Let's find what passes for a hotel in these parts and you can get a room for me to sleep in and room for you to snore in."

"I don't snore." The Doctor replies indignantly.


	4. Me & My Shadow

Practical Preeti, thats what her grandfather called her. She felt kind of sad sometimes that he hadn't called her Pretty Preeti more, as he used to when she was little, but she was the one who discouraged him from saying it, and while he was alive she felt too embarrassed to let him know she didn't mind so much after all. It was hard to be practical in a place so absurd as this, but she was going to try. She knew the Doctor was eager to discover more about that little spark of light, and wanted to impress him by finding out first. Although she often made fun of him she did really want his respect. Now if she just knew a way to sneak around without being seen, then she could slip out while the Doctor was asleep in search of the meaning of the bright little mystery.

The Doctor fell back on to the bed and pondered over what had happened to him in that unlikely contraption. Did it work by stimulating parts of the brain to trigger memories, and then inducing a dream like state in which the customer imagined alternatives to what they remembered? Or did he just happen to get knocked out briefly? But that wouldn't explain the vendor's claim that he had seen the same thing. Why would it show Gallifrey and especially that point in it's history: the day it almost ended, in which it did in fact end, until he went back and stopped that timeline. He had even listened to the man's heart beat, but it sounded boringly normal.

All these musings slipped into vivid dreams, such as one in which he saw some of his old friends on Gallifrey, but was unable to save them before the Dalek attack on their planet. He awoke in a panic, and stood up immediately. Maybe talking to Preeti would help. Maybe she couldn't sleep either. Maybe she wouldn't mind being woken. But when he knocked there was no answer, so he went back to his room to wait until the morning, when she would wake up and they could speak together.

However, Preeti knew he had knocked on her door. Not because he had woken her, or because she had trouble sleeping, but because she was in the hallway he'd just crossed. She wondered if she should say something, let him know she was there, but she'd already made up her mind to prove that she could go out and find answers on her own, without his help. But even if he had seen her there he wouldn't have known it, as she was, after all, just a shadow.

Being a shadow definitely had the advantage of secrecy, especially at this time when the lights were dimmed in the ship to simulate nighttime. It did, however, have disadvantages too. She felt that if she tried to move at her normal speed she was barely crawling, and that if she tried to run quickly she would only go as fast as a slow walk. There was also the pull of the dark. This was something she wasn't expecting, that when her black form met a dark corner it seemed to suck her in, and it took great effort to pull herself away, as it seemed part of her wanted to disappear from any light entirely. After feeling this a couple of times she avoided places where there was complete darkness. This wasn't too hard because she had developed a more acute sense of where sources of light were coming from and stayed where their rays fell on the ground. It was this that ultimately led her to the glowing sprite which zig zagged more freely around the market streets now that the denizens were asleep.

Everything with life gives off some energy, some signature of heat or light, if only a breeze as it passes by, or a barely perceptible change in temperature over the places in which it had stood or moved. The glow from this creature was bright, and it's hum, which could barely be heard amidst the busy daytime activities was more audible at night against the silence around it. Once she had caught a sense of it being near she used her new found perceptions to follow it. It traveled the length of the ship, which was no small distance, past places she hadn't yet seen, and that she wanted to remember to return to. This Will–o–the–Whisp would stop at certain points and seem to cast it's light as if scanning something, and then move on. She was careful to stop when it paused, to not give it any indication that she was there, and then move again when she was sure it hadn't noticed her. Ultimately it reached a large set of doors with a curious set of dials and symbols on the outside where one might expect handles. It inspected this for quite a few minutes and, finding a small crevice to squeeze through, disappeared behind.

Preeti hesitated. She feared that there would be only darkness behind the door and that she might forever be part of it, or that there may be some other danger she didn't want to be stuck in a room with. But she thought, 'faint maiden never won fair quest', or something like that and faced her fear to follow the light through the tiny entrance. Squeezing her shadow form in such a tight space was not a pleasant experience. It felt like exhaling all the air out of her body, and she wanted to retreat and unsqueeze herself out again halfway through, but all she could do was wriggle forward. Fortunately she began began to take shape again on the other side.


	5. Missing, Presumed Lost

The Doctor woke and sat bolt upright. Had he actually slept? How odd. Perhaps a rest was long overdue, but to shut off completely was unusual and annoyingly inconvenient. There were questions to be answered and so much still left unexplored, and he hoped Preeti was awake and ready to hit the streets with him. Was it too early to knock on her door? He hesitated for a moment, but surely she'd had enough sleep by now.

He rapped at the door with his knuckles, tapping out the tune of "Shave and a haircut, two bits."

 _Where is that woman? What's keeping her? How could she sleep through that or take so long to come to the door? Fine! I don't have to wait on her, she can catch up to me if she wants._ And so he purposely strode out of the door to outside the hotel, returning a hello from the porter.

He hesitated for a moment before setting out and returned to the reception to ask, "I was wondering if you could let my friend know I just popped out for a bit if they finally make their way downstair sometime this morning."

"I would sir, but you are the only occupant of our establishment at the moment."

"She left?"

"Well if she did I didn't see it. But as you can see here on my guest tracking terminal that there is only one customer on the premises and thats you."

"How odd. I'm sure I would have heard if she went out. I have keen senses."

"Maybe the snoring masked the sound."

"Snoring? I don't snore!"

"Well I myself thought the loud rumbling sound might have been a faulty air cooler. So I took the liberty of listening at your door and was sure the sound coming from inside was you. I'm surprised she could sleep through it. I certainly couldn't."

"You have quite the sense of humor it seems. But you also have a set of keys I take it. Is there any chance you could let me into my friend's room. I just want to double check she is okay. From what you say it sounds like she was making quite the noise last night while sleeping. So much so the sound travelled to my own room."

"If you say so sir."

They walked down the hallway to her room and the porter knocked and announced himself before opening the door.

There was Preeti. But she was pale and lifeless, her body hanging half off of the bed. The Doctor ran to revive her, but there was no reaction, no indication of any warmth, breathing or movement. Stricken with grief it took him a moment to regain his composure and say anything.

"Please, please, go fetch a ... never mind. Could you raise an alarm, do something useful, or at least find out how this could have happened."

"I swear nobody came in here. I can't imagine what happened. I am so sorry."

"Not as sorry as everyone on this spaceship will be if they don't provide me with answers quickly."

The Doctor picked up her limp body in his arms and moved directly out into the main thoroughfare. There he saw the man from the day before on the way toward his stall.

"You, John, or whatever you call yourself. I need you to get to whoever is in charge."

"Are you okay? What's happened?"

"This is what happened!" He looked down sorrowfully at Preeti's body, then up again angrily.

"Something on this ship has taken her life and there wont be an inch of this place safe until I find the culprit."

"Quite right. But I don't know what to do. There is no–one here in charge and we have never had anything like this happen before. I don't know how to even begin to help you. I just can't imagine what happened. We've had people pass from old age, very old age, but no–one die suddenly and unexpectedly. Are you sure she was healthy?"

"A lot more healthy than you'll be unless you help me find answers."

"I'll do whatever I can."

By this point a crowd had begun to form around them and the Doctor was getting edgy.

"There is nothing to see here. This isn't a show." He said, as he took her body back toward the hotel.

There he knelt next to her, holding her hand, while John stood beside him.

As they waited together the faint sound of a distant church bell was heard. It's peel muted at first, then louder and almost frantic.

"They are not preparing for her funeral already I hope." The Doctor said, annoyed.

"No. That's not a sound I've heard for a long time. Not a sound I expected to hear every again."

"It's not unlike the sound of ... where is it coming from?"

"The cathedral. But the entrance to it was sealed long ago."

"You lost your religion or your priest, or you wanted to spend your Sunday's doing something else?"

"No. I'm sure that wasn't it. Maybe we did stop believing in something, in anything. There was some special reason we sealed it, but it escapes me now."

"This doesn't seem like a coincidence to me. Bells like that ring at weddings or funerals, and something tells me nobody is getting married this morning. Take me there."

"Of course."


	6. Who?

John led the way and the Doctor followed carrying his companion. They rushed together through the streets, past the awnings, tents and caravans until they reached a great black doorway, covered with vines, and looking as if it had not been opened for a great period of time.

"Open it man." The Doctor urged.

"I don't know how to."

"Look for a handle or something."

"All I can see are these circles where handles should be."

"Try knocking then."

Throwing his fist against the door caused a big hollow sounding boom that reverberated throughout the area. It was followed by a faint tap seemingly from the other side.

"Someone is in there."

"I can tell that. Can you hear any movement? is there any change in the door?"

"No. None. Just the tapping becoming more faint."

"Wait a minute. You said something about circles."

"Yes, under these vines."

"Hold her for a moment. Oh, and if you get close to dropping her I swear you'll hit the ground first."

"I'll hold her tightly."

He handed her body over and John grasped it tightly. The Doctor cleared away the vines around the middle of the door and then looked closely at the circles. He looked as if he was in shock and disbelief, and stood back for a second.

"Has this always been here?"

"As long as I remember."

"It didn't appear here one day?"

"No. It's part of the ship. I pass it every day, although come to think of it I never feel like stopping. In fact I can't recall ever coming this close to take a look."

The Doctor approached the door more closely and focused on a set of nine circles arranged in a grid at his eye level. As he wiped away some of the dust upon the door unusual designs were revealed and his countenance changed completely, from anger to curiosity.

"These imperfect circles aren't just for decoration. Those aren't abstract symbols on them, that is circular Gallifreyean, and these are dials which turn, like a combination lock. Impressed yet?"

"I'm afraid you're making less sense to me the more you talk."

"I'm guessing they spell out a sentence. Now, if I was from Gallifrey … and I am ... and I could read Gallifrean … which I can ... then I could make sense of these nine letters ... and I do. But this is not a statement, but a question, and how do I know it's a question? Don't you have any curiosity?"

"This is all so confusing."

"Well here, at the end of all the dials is a question mark. Coincidentally it is the only visible influence of Gallifrey – of me I suppose – that ever made it into the human alphabet. I have a habit of asking pesky questions, or of being a pesky question upon the minds of others … except to you it seems. Now, whats–your–name, tell me about your childhood."

"My childhood? Somehow I lost my memory of that time. I just assumed that maybe it was too traumatic, or too boring."

"And everybody else here?"

"Come to think of it, nobody else speaks about anything before here."

"Who are you John? Who are you really?"

"I don't know if I'm certain any more."

"Who? W. H. O." The Doctor says as he turns the first three dials. "Who are you? Thats the question. The only question I could never answer at the academy, because no amount of study prepared me for it. Who am I? Everyone else knew who they were. They had a simple or an elaborate answer but they knew, or thought they did. But I knew I was always in the process of becoming who I will be. And Preeti … who was she? She was a daughter, a sister, a companion, she could have been a wife and mother one day too. And me? I am the Doctor, I am here to learn, to solve the impossible problems everyone else gives up on."

"And what does that make the rest of us?"

"Everyone everywhere are all the sparks of stars, the embers from which galaxies are born, and the energy within us will never be extinguished, it will only be transformed. We are: A. R. E."

The next set of dials were rotated into place. "But there is a greater question we have yet to find out. I think you have heard this query before too, haven't you? Who are you? And (gesturing around him at the stalls in the distance) him and her and them? Well I think I'll have an answer for you soon. Are you ready to find out whats behind those doors?"

"I have a feeling I'm going to find out whether I'm ready or not."

"Yes you are. It all begins and ends with you: Y.O.U." A series of clicks is heard as the last of the circles is moved.

"WHO … ARE … YOU?" The great doors creak open slowly without being pulled and air rushes out. As the light from outside touches on the floor it seems as if some of the dark inside is escaping too. John stumbles back from the door and begins to lose his grip on the body he is holding. The Doctor runs to bear her weight.

"What did I say?" The Doctor shouts as he rushes toward her.

"You said to not wander off." But that's not John's voice. That's coming from the body itself. That's a female voice. It's Preeti, and she raises her face and smiles at the Doctor. "You were right. This time at least I should have listened."

She falls into the Doctor's arms and he is overwhelmed with happiness and not a little confusion.

"I don't say this often, but 'What the hell just happened?'"

"I followed that light, that creature, that whatever it is into there." Preeti explains to the confused Time Lord.

"But how? The hotel was sure you never left. At least that your body didn't. Oh, you silly girl, you came here in some other form didn't you?"

"Less of the silly girl, Doctor, you aren't my father, but I guess it was a little silly. I drank a potion and turned myself into some sort of shadow. I squeezed in through a tiny crevice in the door, and then the darkness sucked me in. I kept trying to resist it, and I almost let it take me when I heard the knocking and used all the strength I had to tap back."

"Well you seem to have discovered a much greater mystery than I expected to find here, but a much more ominous one than I anticipated. John, if I find any of my people were imprisoned in there. If I find that ..."

John was staring inside at something, no longer listening to the Doctor.

"My old watch. I'd wondered where that went. There are hundreds of them there."

"Oh my dear old friend, it seems I owe you an apology." The Doctor now looked upon John with some nostalgia and familiarity, but John was still as perplexed.

"I'm still no wiser as to how you think you know me, but I'll gratefully take a few kind words. It's been quite a morning for me, and an even more trying one for you I can tell."

"I can't even begin to take it all in. Let me look at that watch for a moment if you don't mind."

"Sure, just be careful with it. I lost it ever so long ago."

"My poor friend, I'm afraid I have to tell you it's broken."

"I know that. It's just a keepsake. They're all broken."

On the way to vendor's stand the Doctor explained to Preeti how a Time Lord's essence, the almost immortal elements of their alien being could be stored in a pocket watch. It could have been any object, but as time was what empowered them a timepiece could hide them in case of danger. All of the past powers of a Time Lord would disappear inside, but it was only ever intended to be a temporary state. With the watches broken the Gallifreyan's on this ship became permanently mortal. Something caused them to leave behind their past and their memories.

"These are my people. From the looks of it the best and brightest. That wasn't an imaginary image I saw in the memory machine. Some must have escaped before my planet was almost destroyed. They probably presumed it had no hope, but I have no idea why they erased almost everything they were. Yet they are here. I've already re–aquainted with one friend, not that I'm entirely sure who he is yet, but who knows how many others are here too."

"Well I don't mean to interrupt the family reunion, but I think you ought to know that thing, that little ball of light, it's not running away from us any more. It's following. It's staying just out of sight most of the time, but it seems my night as a shadow left me a little more aware of it being near, and I can tell it's watching everything we are doing."


	7. Rethinking Immortality

"Now you," The Doctor said as he pointed to John, "you're going to help me with something."

"Just lead the way."

"Actually the way is back to where this all started: At your stall."

They all made their way there swiftly.

"It's your turn. Take a seat."

"I hope you aren't planning to have me relive that nightmare."

"Not only to relive it, but to see what came before and after it. Let me see what I can do with the innards of this thing."

The Doctor walked around the back of the chair and started pulling out wires, cutting some, and twisting others together.

"That ought to do it. What kind of shoes are you wearing?"

"Shoes?"

"Well lets hope the soles are made of rubber in case I wired this wrong, or you'll be having an entirely different set of visions."

"I'm not so sure about this."

"Calm down my reasonably worried friend. We'll have some answers one way or another in just a moment."

With this he put the helmet on John's head.

All was black, followed by some brief bright flashes that show a sparsely furnished futuristic room, then plunge it into darkness again as quickly.

"The blackouts are becoming more frequent." A panicked voice states.

"Blackouts? We have only had brief flickers of light at all for the last half hour. I don't know how much longer we can stand these bombardments."

"Thats my voice," says John, "but I can't remember ever being here." (At which the Doctor comments, "You are remembering it now. Keep going it will become more familiar." He placed his hand on John's shoulder to reassure him, and his eyes close too as he begins to see the same scenes.)

"Have we heard anything more from the Grand Council?"

"Not since they deposed President Romana."

"It looks like our only hope is the escape plan."

"Rassilon will never allow it. Anyone who tries to leave will be seen as a traitor."

"We have to chance it. He'll destroy the whole world to maintain his power if he has to."

"What about ..."

"The Doctor? We've heard nothing. It's a little too late to rely on him now."

(The Doctor interjects, "No it's not. I'll be there. Just give me a little longer." And John replies, "You didn't say that back then. You didn't give us any hope.")

The lights came back up and stays on, with brief flickers.

"Do you have everything?"

"Everything I can carry. Just a few mementos of here, of her."

"Well we'll have everything we need on the ship. It was a xeno–archeological vessel. It picked up little oddities from the strangest corners of the galaxy. Not that they will do us any good, but there is plenty of food onboard."

"All that will give us something to occupy the journey with and, who knows, we may be able to trade such things later."

His bag over his shoulder they went to the door only to see a Gallifreyan guard outside, who puts up his arm signaling John to stop.

"I'm sorry senator Drax I am under strict orders."

(The Doctor can't help at interrupt at hearing the familiar name. "Did you say Drax?" he asks, but John (who was Drax) has no time for it and responds with, "Stop interrupting!" To which the Doctor whispers to himself, "I should have known from that accent.")

"Guard, where are those orders getting you now? You know as well as I do Rassilon is mad and will destroy us all."

"I can't abandon my post, he may be mad, but he doesn't tolerate any hint of disobedience from us."

"You are just a boy. What are you? 120? Come with us."

"I can't. My family is here."

"Well I'm leaving to be with the closest thing I have to family and I'll use force if necessary."

The guard pondered this for a brief moment.

"That's it. That's exactly what you need to do. If you could just hit me over the head, at least hard enough to make it convincing."

"Good lad. I hope the planet survive's long enough for you to feel the headaches and you get back to your family. Thank you."

The guard turned and John hit him square over the head.

The men run down a subterranean corridor, being shaken at the sound of booming explosions above ground. Part of the passage behind them collapses and they barely escape it, but make it to the doorway safely. They are followed shortly after by a glowing light, the same one that Preeti has seen lately, which enters the ship shortly before the door closes.

There were billows of smoke in a desert wasteland on the outskirts of the city, a loud boom, and a spaceship is seen rising from the ground, followed by the fire of it's engines until it disappeared into the stratosphere.

At this the Doctor interrupted, "Why didn't the Daleks blow you out of the sky, or even Rassilon?"

"As you can see they had a bigger fish to fry."

The two men were surrounded by many others in front of a port window from which they can see a mass of Dalek ships surrounding their planet and smaller Gallifreyan attack craft returning fire.

"Viewports close. We don't need to see this. We all know what comes next, and we don't have the time to wait and watch. We are jumping now to a safer place, far away enough they'll never find us."

Just before the ship disappears out of sight it is hit by a shot from a Dalek vessel, but it's only a minor blow, and it reappears somewhere else far away and continues on it's journey.

Drax, who the Doctor had been calling John up until now, wakes from the dream he shared with the Doctor, and begins to recall his past.

"We had some idea that the Daleks wouldn't rest until there weren't any Gallifreyan's left. So, It was after this we decided to take our watches, to put within them the essence of what made us Time Lords, and to destroy them. I was the last to do so, and in that short space afterward in which my history was draining away I closed the cathedral of memories and forgot what I had done."

"Then I took away from you that choice. But we will get back to that. Do you remember me my old friend? I had a different face back then, you knew me as Theta Sigma at the Academy."

"I do now. You've gotten older. Somehow I have too. It's so good to see you after so long. There is so much I still can't remember right now. I'm sure it will come to me. I know it seemed such a burden to carry all those memories, a lifetime of those we loved and lost, and regrets we could no longer put right."

"And since that time you have been content to live here?"

"Here goes everywhere. We collect curiosities from the farthest reaches of the galaxy and share them for just enough to cover our food and fuel costs. Here we don't have the burden of being the oldest race in the universe and one of the most feared and hated, just like the Daleks, but they have a better excuse for their behaviour. Here we can just be friends and family, and live every day fully."

"I tried giving up being a Time Lord once. I took a job as a teacher, I fell in love, but my past caught up with me and I had to return to being a fugitive."

"Here we have no past, so our future is what we make it."

All this led to the Doctor questioning whether being a Time Lord was such a good idea. Had he just been a prisoner to the past, to the legacy he carried with him, or a prisoner to the future, and his attempts to trying to escape it? He wandered off wondering to himself about these things, not noticing he'd left Drax behind, or that Preeti was following.

"Doctor, what is wrong?"

"Do you think, Preeti, that it is right for a man to live this long?"

"I think now that my grandfather was happier to die knowing I appreciated him, and I was happier to let him go, knowing I had the chance to let him know how I felt. What has kept you going all this time?"

"I can't quite remember now. In the past it seems there was a reason, but it seems very vague now. I've lost so much along the way."

Drax, who had been curious where the Doctor went, caught up to him, and heard the tail end of the conversation.

"There is a reason, Doctor, I remember even if you don't. When I last saw you you were saving a planet or what was left of it, because people meant the world to you, you wanted them to have a future, to have a chance against the forces that seek to extinguish life in the universe. That is what you are here for. The rest of us are lucky we ducked and dived enough to live this long, and that was enough for us, but the universe needs you to set right some of it's major mistakes, or it wouldn't be a place worth living in. That's why you are here Doctor, and why you must always be here."

"Drax, thats why you were such a good friend, you always told it like it is. I gave up my long life once, and I saw the life I would have had if I'd stayed that way. It would have been a good life for as long as it lasted, but it looked like someone else's life, that I was just being a spectator of. I could never stay still so long. It's not the length of a life that determines it's goodness. Some live a short time and love and are loved and thats enough. I admire that, but I'd never be satisfied with questions unanswered and places unexplored and leaving people without help. I can't leave the universe alone, there are enough malevolent forces playing with it, that I have to do a little tinkering myself now and again to give my friends a chance at a future. Thank you for remind me before I made the mistake of forgetting the reason why I'm here."

"You are most welcome. Now enough of such silliness. I have a lot of questions."


	8. A Trick Of The Light

"Doctor?"

"Not now Preeti. I have a lot of catching up to do with an old friend."

"But Doctor."

"It's okay." Drax informs him, "We can reminisce later. I knew enough from being in my old mind for a few minutes to know I lost all of those I loved, and that to keep those around me safe had to forget them too. Thank you Doctor, old friend, for letting me regain those memories."

"You are welcome. Now," he says looking at Preeti, "What is it that couldn't wait?"

"The light is back and it's definitely following you Doctor."

She points up the ceiling where the sprite is hovering, and as the Doctor walks toward it to take a better look and it retreats proportionately. As he suddenly jumps to the left and the right the sprite moves accordingly.

"That same light boarded this vessel the day it left Gallifrey." Drax reminds the Doctor.

"Someone or something wanted to spy on you and I'm going to find out what."

"How do you reckon you can figure out what it is?"

"Everything emits a frequency, even light. Luckily the Tardis is very good at gathering data and probably has enough info. for us to figure out where this little fellow came from, and maybe what it wants."

They begin to walk back to the Tardis, the light following behind at a distance.

"A Tardis. I remember those. I once had one of my own. It's all coming back."

"I hated to leave you without a working one all those years ago, but you did want to stay on Atrios. I guess something changed to bring you back to Gallifrey though."

"It was a woman."

"It always is."

"Was she worth it?"

"Rodan was worth the universe and more."

"I met her once. Good woman. I'm sorry she didn't make it."

"It's okay. We lived an eternity in the time we had, and though I'm only just remembering the details, the feelings have always been with me."

"I know that feeling to, remind me to tell you ..."

As the Doctor attempts to open the door the light descends and shoots a beam which almost hits them, forcing the Doctor to jump back.

"I guess it figured out my plan. Who is behind that bright eye? What are they looking for? And why are they so determined to stay secret?"

"And what do they have against you in particular, Doctor?"

"If its between me and it, I'm going to make sure I'm not the one who loses. … Drax, you know this market pretty well. I have a list of things for you to get me."

"Doctor it hardly seems the time to go shopping." Preeti jokingly says to him.

"Very funny Preeti. But you need to go help him and quickly, because this little fellow doesn't seem to be exercising caution any more and I'm worried about what he will do next."

Preeti and Drax rush around collecting diverse tools and electrical parts, from saws, to cables and vacuum tubes, which they carry to Alberta's caravan where the Doctor is working.

"Thank you and now if you'll give me some space I have a job to do."

Curious, but exhausted, Preeti and Drax content themselves to sit outside with Alberta who asks, "Do you have any idea what he is doing in there?"

"None at all.", Preeti replies, "Well, except that it's electrical and if I know him it's probably dangerous."

Flashes of light come from inside, a low electric hum, and the Doctor emerges with what looks like Jules Verne designed electric guitar.

"Do you like it? It's my sonic guitar! I'll just start it up with a few turns of this windy thing," he says as he turns a knob, "and you will hear some out–of–this world rock–and–roll. You see, the electric guitar can produce powerful sonic waves, that can disrupt even the very fabric of living beings. So stand back. Because with the right application of musical technique, an adjustment in pitch, the right combination of chords, and with a little use of my whammy bar: a highly customized perfectly tuned instrument like this can even resonate on the frequency of light."

With this he begins to play rapidly up and down the frets, his fingers picking the strings until he reaches a crescendo. The light is quickly coming toward him now, while he pulls up his right arm and then swiftly brings it down on to the guitar's tremolo bar. The light waxes and wanes quickly and starts to try to move away but seems to be pulled back with each strum, until it explodes in a great flash, then falls to the ground, revealed to be a little brass clockwork in the shape of a star.

"Now lets see where you came from you curious gizmo. To the Tardis."

They make their way there purposefully.

"It's been a while since I've been on board one of these." Drax recollects.

"As I recall you had to _borrow_ yours too. Gallifrey is ever so possessive over them." The Doctor plays with different controls on his console.

"Is?"

"Oh, yes there is that little detail I forgot to mention. Gallifrey did not fall to the Daleks. With a little help from my past selves we stopped it being destroyed. I'm still hoping that was a good thing."

"A good thing? I'm not so sure from what I saw before I left, with Rassilon there."

"Oh, I may have removed him too. So if you want to you'd be quite welcome back there. Maybe they'd also be able to fix your timepieces."

"I never imagined I was from anywhere else than here until today, but I still can't imagine ever leaving."

The Doctor's attention is suddenly diverted to something on a screen.

"Oh no. No. No. No."

"Doctor?"

"You may have to leave and very soon. I've done every sort of test. They didn't turn up anything until I simply checked the alloys it was made from and even then I didn't initially see it, maybe I didn't want to see it, but this isn't a thing which just observes and collects information. It transmits it too, and from a close analysis of the materials it's made of I found a radioactive signature which comes from a very particular place, the planet Skaro. My dear Drax, this machine was sent by the Daleks. It is harmless until it discovers a Time Lord. So you were quite safe here, forever safe after your encounter in the past, because all of you are no longer Time Lords; safe that is, until one comes on board and puts you all in jeopardy. Oh dear Omega, what have I done?"

"You didn't know Doctor. You couldn't have known and we didn't know to warn you."

Preeti begins to realize the implications of this. "So you are saying that the things which almost destroyed your world know we are here and – let me guess – they are headed straight this way?"

"I'm afraid that sums it up."

"Does your ship have weapons?" She says looking at Drax.

"It's never needed them. It's camouflage is how it avoids danger."

"But we can warp out of here right?"

"Warp?" (Which the Doctor explains to Drax means, "faster than light travel.")

"Sorry. Any power of that magnitude was lost when we were attacked that first time."

"So that's it then."

"That's that."

"Unless, of course, we get everyone on the Tardis." The Doctor tells them, pleased with his cleverness.

"Where would we put them all?" Preeti asks.

"Oh, Preeti you haven't seen a thousandth of it, there are hundreds of rooms and corridors, enough space to fit everyone in without being too cramped."

"And here I was impressed thinking there was one room squeezed in such a small space."

Drax isn't so sure though. "There is one problem, Doctor, I think most people feel just the same as I do, they wont want to leave, they are as tied to this place as if it was part of them."

"Don't be silly, you could have a life, several lives back on Gallifrey. We can show them with your machine!"

"If they see what I saw they will probably be even more determined to stay here, and Doctor, the fact you have spent your lives running from there only convinces me more that we are right to stay away."

"I might convince them yet."

"I'm not so sure of that, look at this." Preeti alerts them to the image of a saucer in the distance as shown on another one of the Tardis' monitors.

"Well if your staying, Drax, I am too. But Preeti, you are getting a ride back courtesy of the Tardis."

"Wait a minute, Doctor."

"We may not have a minute."

"We may have all the time in the world."

"That sounds like something I'd normally say, but since I can't control time out there, and they are running out of time, it seems in very poor taste."

"Doctor, how big do you say it was inside here?"

"At least a hundred–thousand square feet. Why?"

"Haven't you noticed yet that the market seems much bigger than the ships we saw on the viewer. I was beginning to think all spaceships worked that way, but, with this place being full of your people, something tells me this ship and yours aren't that different."

"Preeti you genius! I'm so used to the Tardis I never even noticed. Of course. What kind of ship are us Gallifreyan's best at making? This is a Tardis, a Tardi – no that sounds ridiculous – it is a bigger on the inside machine which can travel through space and time! And from what I can tell this must be an even more advanced model than mine."

"A type 42. It's coming back to me now." Drax recalled.

"So there must be a console on this ship somewhere, and I think I know just where."

They rush to the cathedral, and throw open it's doors all the way to light up the cavernous room beyond.

"The center of the ship, a place of memories and a place of power." The Doctor is in awe. He pushes away a pile of pocket watches (which were stacked almost as high as he is tall) and finds beneath them the edge of a six–sided console, full of knobs, levers and dials.

"The first thing I'm going to do is switch off that anti–weapons system that wouldn't let me use my sonic screwdriver. The guitar is great, but not very practical for fine work."

"How long do you think we have?"

"I hope just long enough. Then we should have all the time in the universe. ... Drax, has any of your old engineering knowledge returned?"

"Thats the one thing that was always there, though I hadn't a clue what to do with it before now."

"Well get to work then man." The Doctor orders him, as he begins using his sonic screwdriver to performs scans.

"Okay, we have power back to the console and have the controls up and running. Just one switch of this lever and we will be beyond time and space and can figure out where we go next from there. Here goes."

There is a very loud whoosh, but the sound dies away quickly.

"What is it?"

"I have no idea. I can't see why when we landed the Tardis didn't even identify this ship as it's cousin. Drax, do you remember yet what was damaged in the attack?"

"They went for the auxiliary engines. I had no idea why they didn't take out the main ones first."

"I think I know exactly why. This isn't a typical space ship. Sure, it has propulsion and life support, but if I'm right it wasn't engines it was aiming for, it was your ability to travel through time. They were taking out the heart of it, and unlike us a Tardis has only one. Lucky for us they didn't destroy it completely, but they did damage it enough that traveling through time is no longer an option."

"Most people leave us alone because they can't see us."

"But the Daleks now know exactly where to look, and will undoubtedly have a fleet so large there will be no way you will be able to avoid detection. Unless ..."

Before the Doctor can finish his sentence a metallic voice reverberates throughout the ship: "People of Gallifrey. We don't offer you peace, only destruction. We have not come to speak terms. Only to exterminate."

The Doctor is angry and – pressing a button on the console that broadcasts his voice – responds with, "This is the Doctor. You have wanted me for hundreds of years. I am right here and willing to give myself in if you leave these people alone. Scan them, they are just normal people, they pose no threat."

But the reply is not what he hoped for. "All life is but a virus to us, and we aim to eradicate that virus from every galaxy."

There is no longer just one ship in the distance, but a dozen have arrived and are now close by.

"We don't have enough power to make a run for it, not enough to travel through time, and I can't think of anything my Tardis has that could help us. It can't hold off their firepower, it can't trans–materialize this market elsewhere, and it can't hide it. It has never been good at hiding. It has always been out of place wherever it goes. Just a silly Police Call Box, thats all it is because it is missing the one little thing that works perfectly on this big broken ship: the Chameleon Circuit."

"The what?" Preeti asks.

"Do you think the Tardis came from an alien planet looking like a 1930s London Police Box?

"I didn't expect a floating reflective space market either."

"Preeti you are smarter than you know. I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier. But, if we have any luck left and I can remember how to operate those controls."

"No need Doctor, I can guess exactly what you are thinking and know just what to do" Drax offers, "Somehow, I must have not skipped that class at the Academy. Here goes."


	9. Farewell Old Friend

There is a great explosion. A thousands pieces of debris. It's too late! Only millions of indistinguishable pieces of wreckage are left. The last remnants of a legendary ship lifelessly floating among the empty darkness of space.

The Dalek vessels begin to move away. One here and there and then the rest en masse, disappearing off into some distant galaxy. Their mission has been accomplished. Hundreds of Time Lords destroyed. Nothing left of their greatest enemy: the Doctor.

But Daleks feel no glee; if there is any satisfaction it is brief and internal, because there is a universe of undesirable beings left for them to still eradicate, and their purpose will not be satisfied until every one of them is gone.

What is that? What is that little piece of metal doing? It looks like a badly damaged cylinder. It is tumbling purposefully at an oblique direction to what is left of the ship. It bears no markings, has no visible means of propulsion and is too small to be of any significance, yet it moves as if it knows where it is heading.

"What was that?" We hear Alberta say. She is alive, although somewhat shaken. "All the baubles were shaken off my table." She does not look amused and aims her displeasure at the Doctor.

"That was a lot of luck, some amazing Gallifreyan technology and maybe a little bit of magic." The Doctor informs her.

"It's a shame we had to lose the swimming pool." Drax replies.

"Well we had to make it look like they destroyed us. It took a lot of useless unused corridors and storage areas too."

"Now I'd suggest something even more mundane than a silver cylinder to mask this ship: an asteroid perhaps, the universe is full of those."

"It wont produce the same degree of mystery."

"I think there is enough on board to do that already."

Preeti helps pick up some items that had fallen off of the seller's stand and – after she is thanked for helping – walks toward the Doctor.

"So you were up to your old parlor tricks again? Shrinking spacecraft into tight spaces might have bought your people onboard some time, but won't the Dalek's eventually realize they've been tricked and return?"

"Dear Preeti, you were never one to allow an old man a little moment of triumph in the face of impossible odds. But in this case you are wrong, not only do the Dalek's consider them eliminated, they no longer have their bright little friend around here, scanning for people like me. Not that there really is anyone like me, but you know what I mean."

"You are definitely right there. I can't imagine a universe big enough for another creature like you or your ego."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I may tease you, but I think this time at least you deserve some of the praise. Although of course you couldn't have done it without me."

"I think I may have found that universe sized ego you were mentioning after all. Your part may have been a small one, a shadow's width to be exact, but it did make all the difference. Next time I tell you to stay put you have my permission to completely ignore me."

"Oh you know me better than that, I'm not the kind of girl who asks permission to do anything."

"So very true."

The Doctor turns to Drax, who has been entertained by the exchange, and says, "Now my dear friend, I must thank you for your help too. It was just like old times at the academy, minus the Daleks and certain doom; although the exams seemed just as scary."

"Don't remind me. I failed them and you barely passed. This, however, was an amazing ride I'll be glad not to have to repeat again. Two almost destructions are my limit, but I can't think of a nicer Gallifreyan to share an escape with."

"I'm addicted to escaping. I've spent my whole existence doing it, and wouldn't know what I'd do with my lives if I wasn't running from something. But I will leave you to you more peaceful existence and move on to a new crisis, rather than bringing the ship any more of the craziness that seems to surround me. If I happen to stop by our home planet again any time soon is there anyone on Gallifrey you'd like me to remember you to?"

"No. Not anymore. This is home now. Over time I'll introduce more of the people here to their past, but they all left seeking a better home and we really have found it."

"I envy what you have here."

"But not enough to give up your travels, and thats the way it should be."

The two men embrace each other as old friends leaving each other to make long journeys apart.

"Farewell, old friend." The Doctor says as he waves goodbye and he and Preeti walk toward the Tardis.

On board Preeti is lost in thought, staring at the view screen at an asteroid disappearing into the distance.

"So little? Penny for your thoughts." The Doctor asks her.

"I was just thinking how much age scared me when I was young. It was the idea of dying one day that I didn't want to be reminded of, or that those I loved might one day be gone. But I'm not sure now if anyone ever goes away completely; a piece of them always lives on. My grandad is still part of me, the people on that ship kept some part of themselves and their parents, partners and friends, even though they couldn't remember the details. That must be why you invite others to come with you because you are who you because of them"

"Maybe your not so young after all."

"And maybe other people are your secret to never getting too old."

"You may have solved a little mystery there, but there are many others left to keep me mysterious and interesting."

"And to keep you searching for something and never letting on exactly what it is?"

"That's another story. There is only one told per journey, so you'll have to follow me further to find out any more."

"You won't get rid of me that quickly or easily and the last thing you'll find me is boring."

"There are too many possibilities in the universe to explore for me to ever find the time to be bored. So lets go find the next amazing one together."

"Lets."

An old fashioned blue telephone box makes its way through a field of stars as if it's at home in it's surroundings. Spinning, it's light flashing, it disappears from view and on to another adventure.


	10. Notes

Doctor Who is the first television programme I can remember watching, my father watched the first episode of Doctor Who in 1963 at age seventeen, and I watched what I thought might be the last episode in 1989 when I was seventeen. The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker, 1974-81) was my first Doctor. I watched the show as a boy in Canada on an American public TV station, and it was my link to the country I was born in (and to the many alien creatures, worlds and ideas it introduced me to).

Waiting to watch episodes on television didn't give me enough access to the world of the Time Lord, and so I sought out books wherever I could find them. These paperback retellings of earlier Doctor's adventures were the only way for me to experience those stories, long before the advent of them on video. I dreamt of one day writing such stories myself. I'd imagine where the Doctor might go next and other beings he might encounter on far off planets.

Doctor Who returned to television screens in 2005 and has continued to the time of writing (2016), but to fans - who followed it's stories in books, audio dramas, and comics - it never ceased. But as the BBC doesn't accept unsolicited scripts, and I don't yet have any recognition as a writer of science fiction, I am unlikely to get a call from the producers asking me to pen them an episode.

What I do have is my imagination and an eagerness to explore the possibilities of a Doctor Who story that could be, which could revisit some familiar territory, but also speculate about the Doctor's history, his people, and his purpose.

This little little novelette began as a script, mostly dialogue between the Doctor, his companion and occasionally other characters. It was split between the brief descriptions of the scenes they encountered and the actions that took place. I've added some additional text to help make it more readable, but it was never intended to be published.

This is the story I would've liked to have made for my children and friends who love the programme. It is a homage to aspects of the show I have enjoyed and which have interested me, although I hope it will be of interest to others too.

 **The Story & Characters**

This story particularly pertains to the events of the Time War, especially as seen in the 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor (2013). However, it contains many references to story elements and characters from early Doctors, especially during the era of the 4th Doctor, Tom Baker (1974-81).

The Doctor spoken of in this story is the twelfth doctor, played by Peter Capaldi (2014+). Capaldi started in the role at the same age as the actor who played the first Doctor, William Hartnell (55).

Preeti, the companion, is a British Indian young woman who has not appeared in any other previous Doctor Who stories. This would seem to be her first venture away from earth, after meeting the Doctor there. The idea was to have someone with the Doctor who didn't seem so impressed by his other worldly origins.

Drax first appeared in the 4th Doctor's story, The Armageddon Factor (1979). He had previously been at the Prydonian Academy with the Doctor in the Class of 92, but failed the exams. His often less-than-legal exploits at one time led to him being held in Brixton prison where he picked up a London accent. He was later imprisoned by an agent of the Black Guardian (of Time), known as The Shadow, who used him to maintain a computer used in interplanetary war between the planets of Zeos and Atrios. It was during this time he again met his old friend, who was seeking a piece of the Key to Time, and together they defeated their common foe and ended the war. Afterward he stayed to assist in rebuilding the world of Atrios. The Drax of this story returned at some point and married Rodan, a Time Lady from another story. Her fate is only hinted at, but it is presumed she died in in the early stages of the Time War from a Dalek attack.

The Type 42 Tardis is significantly bigger inside than the Doctor's Type 40, being almost 10 times the size. Fans of Douglas Adams can guess where the number came from. I thought it would be nice to show a Tardis with a working chameleon circuit, although without working time travel.


End file.
